Automobile tent



INVENTOR.

ESKEPV,

ATTOP/VEYJ.

2. SHEETS-SHEET l S. F. ASKEW AUTOMOBILE TENT FVG.

SMA/Ey ,q

@Wmazg/wmw@ Ma/maag Feb. 12, 195g Filed Oct. 3l, 1950 T/35 ici) S. F. ESKEWv AUTMOBILE TENT Feb. 1.2, 1952 2 Sl'IEETS-SHEET 2 Filed Oct. 5l, 1950 IN V EN TUR. .s 74A/EY A'. Esrfm l 'cl Patented Feb. 12, 1952 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE AUTOMOBILE TENT Stanley F, Eskew, Fayetteville, W. Va..

Application October 31, 1950, Serial No. 193,173

This inventionrelates to tent structures, and 'Y simple in construction, which is easy to set up andto take down, and which may be mounted on the roof of an automobile and secured to the conventional luggage rack on the automobile roof. Afurther object of the invention is to provide an improved automobile tent which involves only a few parts, which may be unfolded to operative position in a very short time, and with only a small amount of effort, which may be ffolded to a very compact condition when its use is not re- 1liluired, and which is very durable in construcion.

Further objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following description and claims, and from the accompanying drawings, wherein: r

Figure 1 is an end elevational view of a portion of an automobile provided with an improved tent structure according to the present invention, the-tent structure being shown set up at the side of the automobile;

Figure 2 is a side elevational view showing the tent body rolled up on its reel in an inoperative condition for transportation with the automobile;

Figure 3 is a cross-sectional, detail view taken on line 3-3 of Figure 1;

Figure 4 is an enlarged perspective view, partly broken away, of one of the top corners of the tent structure of Figure l;

Figure 5 is an enlarged, cross-sectional, detail view taken yon line 5-5 of Figure 1;

Figure 6 is an enlarged perspective, detail view of one of the top corners of the tent structure adjacent one end of the reel to rwhich the tent body is secured in the tent structure of the present invention;

Figure 7 is a plan View of the tent body employed in the tent structure of Figures l to 6.

Referring to the drawings, II generally designates the tent body, said body comprising a roof portion I2 which is substantially square in shape, side aps I3, I3, a rear end ap I4, and a relatively short front ap I5. Designated at I6 is a conventional passenger automobile, and designated at I'I is a conventional luggage rack mounted on the roof of the automobile and held thereonby the usual strap members I8 in cooperation with the suction cups I9. Designated at 20, 20 are transverse frame members forming part of the luggage rack I1. Designated at 2i is a longitudinal bar member secured to the trans- 2 verse frame members 2B, 20 by the respective L- shaped brackets 22, 22, as shown in Figures 3 vand 6. At the ends of the bar member 2|, the brackets 22 are formed with' the upstandinglugs 23, and journaled in said lugs is .the longitudinally extending shaft 24. Secured on the shaft 24 is the cylindrical reel 25 having the enlarged, circular end flanges 26, 26. As shown in Figures 3- and '7, the short frontend flap I5 of the tent body II is secured to the reel 25 by suitable Iasteners 21, the flap I5 being received between the circular end flanges 26, 26 of the reel in the mane ner shown in Figure '7. As further shown in Figure 7, the free outer margin of the flap I5 is arcuate in shape to conform with the curvature of the top of theautomobile body and is formed with the respective notches 28, 28 adapted toreceive the :forwardly projecting portions of the bracket member 22, 22 when the ap I5 is in a depending condition.; l )Designated at 29 is a support or an elongated, U-shaped member which straddles the reelf25, the U-shaped member 29 having the end legs 36, `30 whose ends are- .rotatably connected to the shaft 24 and which are disposed between the respective circular flanges-26 and upstanding ele.- ments 23. As further shown in Figure 6, the U:- shaped member 29 underlies the tent body. II when said body is unreeled, and the member 29 may be employed to exert stretching force on said tent body when the member 29 is secured in an upstanding position, as shown in Figure 6.

Pivotally connected by twisted links 44 to the legs 30 of the member 29 adjacent the bight portion thereof are the respective longitudinally extending bar members 3l, 3 Iwhich are adapted to serve as supports for the side marginal portions of the roof section I2 of the tent body. Pivotally connected to the ends of the members 3| are the respective additional bar members 32, 32,` the free ends ofthebar members 32 being pointed, as shown at 33, and being adapted to be embedded in the ground to secure the members 32 in vertical positions, as shown in Figure 1. The bar members 32 are provided adjacent their pointed ends 33 with the laterally projecting arms 34 on which downward force may be applied toy cause the point portions 33 to penetrate into the ground when setting up the tent. Designated at 35 is a transverse corner bar having apertured ends engageable over axially projecting pin elements 36 securedon the hinged ends ,of the bar `member 32, as shown in Figure 4, the transverse bar member 35 being adapted to underlie the tent body to support the rear transverse margin of the roof section I2 thereof. As shown in Figure 7, the margins of the flaps i3 and I4 are provided with the mating snap fastener elements 3T and 38, whereby the rear marginal edges of the flap members I3 may be secured to the side edges of the ap member I4 in the manner shown in Figure 4, to denne the tent enclosure. The forward outer corners of the flap members I3, I3 are provided with the loops 331 which may be engaged by lstakes 40 in the manner shown in Figure 1, to anchor the forward corners of the flaps I3 to the ground. The forward margins of the naps I3 are also provided with grommets 4l which may be tied to the hooked ends of the straps I8, as shown in Figure l.

One end of the shaft 24 is provided with 'the hand crank 42, and the other end of `said shaft.

has a. nut 43 threaded thereon which may be tightened to lock the shaft 24 against rotation relative to the upstanding members 23, 23, as well as to lock the leg portions 3i! -of the U-sh'ap'ed member 29 inl either an opstanding position, shown in Figure 6, or in 'a lowered position.l

When the tent is not in use, 'the naps I3, Il?, are folded over vonto the roof section I?. of the "tent body, andthe tent body isro'lled up on the reel 25, the removable transverse bar 35 being tied to the rolled-up tent body by the use of suitable ropes or cables 44', as shown in Figure 2. The U- shaped member "23 Ais 'swung forwardly over the bracket member 22 and the side bars 3I and S2 'are yfolded up and are laid over the luggage rack I1. To set up the tent, it is merely necessary to swing the bars 3I and 32 outwardly tothe positions shown in Figure i, rotating the U-shaped member 29 upwardly and locking said member in the upstanding position "thereof shown in Figures 1 and 6, by means of the wing nut 43. The pointed ends 33 'of the bar members 32 are embedded in the ground and thetransverse supporting bar 35 is engaged on the pin 36 atthe ends of the bar members '32. The vtent body is then wound from the reel v25 and engaged over the 4framework defined by the Amembers 29, 3|, '32 Yand v35, the wing nut '43 preferably being loosened until the tent body has been secured to said framework. After the tent b ody has Vbeen spread over the framework, the snap fasteners 31 'and 38 are interen'gaged andv the forward edges of the naps I3, I3 are anchored'by means of the stakes 4U and by securement of the 'grommets 4I to the hooked ends of the strapmembers I8. After all portions of the tent body vhave been secured, the U-shaped member 2B may be elevated to provide the final stretching action on the tent body `and maybe locked in elevated position by tightening the wing nut I3.

When the tent body is rolled -up in the manner shown in Figure 2, the reel and parts adjacent thereto are securely locked by the wing nut 43. The frame bars, as above described, overlie and rest on the vcarrier rack on the roof of the automobile and may be secured thereto by `any suitable means. The tent structure is, therefore, readily disposed on the roof lof the automobile ready for use as an emergency over-night tent, for dressing rooms at beaches and resorts, .for sunshade beside the car, or for other desired uses.

While a specific embodiment of an improved automobile tent has been disclosed in the fore*- going description, it will be understood that various modifications within 'the spirit of the invention may occur to those skilled in the art. Therefore, it is intended that no limitations be placed on the invention except as dened by the scope of the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

l. In combination, a longitudinal carrier rack adapted to be mounted on the roof of an automobile, a longitudinal reel rotatably mounted on one side marginal portion of said rack, a body of flexible material secured to said reel and adapted to be rolled up thereon, a support adjacent said reel and pivoted to said rack for rotation around the same axis of said reel, a foldable frame pivotally connected to said support, said frame being at times -foldable onto said rack and being at other times unfoldable to define an upstanding framework adjacent the side of the automobile carrying the reel, and means arranged for securing said body of exible material over said framework to define a tent enclosure.

2. In combination, a longitudinal carrier'rack adapted to be mounted' on the .roof of an automobile, a llong-ituclimn reel rotatably mounted on one side marginal portion 'of said rack, a body of `iiexible material secured to said reel and adapted to be rolled up thereon, an elongated U-s'haped member, the'ends of the Yarms of said U-shaped member being pivoted to said 'rack for rotation around the same 'axis as said reel and said vmember straddling the reel, a foldabl'e frame pivot# ally connected to the arms ro'f said U -shaped member, said frame being at times foldable ont/o said rack and being at other times `u'n'foldable 'to define an opstanding framework adjacent the side of the automobile carrying the reel, 'and means arranged for securing said body of iiexible material over vsaid framework to ldefine a tent enclosure.

3. In combination, a'iongtudinal carrier Vrack adapted to be mounted on the roof of an vautomobile, a shaft journaled to Ione 'side' marginal portion of said rack, a reel secured on said shaft, `a bodyv of flexible material 'secured to said reel and being adapted to be rolled u p thereon, `an elongated U-shaped member pivoted said shaft in endwise straddling relation to said reel, Ia foldable frame pivotally connected to the legs of said U-shaped member and being arranged to beat times folded onto said rack 'and at other times unfolded to to define a tent framework adjacent the side of the'autoxnobile carrying said shaft, said body of flexible material being shaped to fit over the unfolded Vframework and the U- shaped member to define a tent enclosure, means for securing said body to the unfolded framework, and means on one end of said shaft and movable into and out of engagement with the ad jacent leg of said U-shaped member forlocking said L'l-'shaped vmember in an opstanding position relative to said shaft, whereby thebiglit portion of the U -shaped member exerts 'stretching action on the body of flexible material.

` STANLEY F. `ESKEW- Name Date Hewlett v Fe`b; 8,1938

Number v2,107,653 

